Apparatus for serially removing labels from a stack

ABSTRACT

A pick-out device for a labelling machine comprises at least one pick-out blade rotatable about a first axis in one direction and connected to a crankshaft or other eccentric means that is rotatable about a second parallel axis in the opposite direction or in the same direction and is capable of imparting to the pickout blade not only this rotational movement about the second axis but also radial movement outwardly or inwardly with respect to the first axis, so as to enable the pick-out blade to pick a label out of a label stack, means to guide the pick-out blade radially and means to apply gum to the pick-out blade.

United States Patent 1191 Campbell et al. Jan. 7, 1975 [54] APPARATUS FOR SERIALLY REMOVING 3,591,168 7/1971 Zodrow l56/568 LS O A S C 3,723,228 3/1973 Schaltegger 3,735,731 5/1973 Tauernier 1. Inventors: Peter Graham Campbell; Davld 3,767,515 /1973 Eder 156/568 Arthur Buxton, both of Sheffield, England Primary Examiner-Charles E. Van Horn [73] Assignee: Morgan Fairest Limited, Sheffield, Assistant Examiner-11W. Massiie England Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Lowe, King and Price [22] Filed: Jan. 19, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 325,001 [57] ABSTRACT A pick out device for a labelling machine comprises at Foreign Application Priority Data least one pick-out blade rotatable about a first axis in Jan. 26, 1972 Great Britain 3603/72 one direction and Connected to a Crankshaft eccentric means that is rotatable about a second paral- 52 us. Cl 271/33, 118/231, 118/236, lel axis in the Opposite direction Or in the Same direc- 5 5 g 7 7 tion and is capable of imparting to the pick-out blade [51] Int. Cl Bh 7/00 not only this rotational. movement about the Second 5 Field f Search 5 5 5 5 5 axis but also radial movement outwardly or inwardly 156/556, 564, 571, 572, 578; 118/236, 240, with respect to the first axis, so as to enable the pick- 241 231; 271 117 33 222 2 7 219 out blade to pick a label out of a label stack, means to guide the pick-out blade radially and means to apply [56] References Cited gum w the P blade- UNITED STATES PATENTS 9 Claims, 20 Drawing Figures 2,545,292 3/1951 Magnusson .1 156/568 PATENTEU JAN 7 5 HEET 5 BF 5 APPARATUS FOR SERIALLY REMOVING LABELS FROM A STACK This invention relates to labelling machines for applying labels to articles e.g., bottles, cans, and in particular to a pick-out device for picking out a label to be applied to an article from a label stack or magazine.

According to the present invention, a pick-out device for a labelling machine comprises a pick-out blade rotatable about a first axis in one direction and connected to a crankshaft or other eccentric means that is rotatable about a second parallel axis in the opposite direction or in the same direction and is capable of imparting to the pick-out blade not only this rotational movement about the second axis but also radical movement outwardly or inwardly with respect to the first axis, means to guide the pick-out blade radially and means to apply gum to the pick-out blade.

Thus, when the pick-out blade is adjacent a label stack, the crankshaft or other eccentric means is rotated in the said opposite direction so that the pick-out blade rotates about the second axis in the said opposite direction and is also moved radially outwardly, which ensures that the pick-out blade at the label stack has no effective angular motion but only linear motion towards and away from the label stack.

The crankshaft etc. is preferably rotated by a cam and gear quadrant arrangement selected mechanically to drive the crank at a fixed ratio to the rotation of the pick-out blade.

The pick-out blade may be varied in size to accommodate varying label sizes and preferably is of such a curvature as to obtain minimum machine dimensions yet give maximum contact with the label stack to ensure effective label removal. The pick-out blade can be made as a movable section of a pick-out cylinder to ensure larger sized labels can be transferred to further machine sections but more effectively the pick-out cylinder can be disregarded and a fixed section of the circumference utilised according to the label length required to be transferred after removal from the label stack.

The pick-out device as described above may be used to pick-out a label from a single stack or, in the circumstances of bottle labelling where it is usual to apply a body label, and a neck label, to pick out simultaneously one label from each of two superimposed label stacks. Further application by additional label stacks can allow more than two superimposed label stacks to be used,

In the case of two or more label stacks being used, the pick-out blade is preferably split to allow clearance of the pick-out blade on the label stack support structures and preferably the pick-out blade body is of design to allow easy change of pick-out blades to accommodate difference label sizes as for example the pickout blade ending in a dovetail slide section with the pick-out blade being fastened to the female section of the dovetail.

According to another aspect of the invention a plu rality of pick-out blades and their crankshaft or other eccentric rotation systems may be located in a common plate rotatable about the first axis to give a multiplication of label pick-out speeds according to the number of label pick-out devices fitted.

As the plurality of label pick-out blades according to this aspect of the invention is increased, the radius of curvature of the individual pick-out blade increases and tends towards a flat plate but preferably a pick-out blade having a large radius of curvature is used since this facilitiates the transference of gum to it from a gluing roller or device arranged to contact the pick-out plate over the gum roller etc.. to ensure all the surface of the pick-out plate receives a correct quantity ofgum.

Another aspect of the invention employs the resilience of the label stack such that on contact with the pick-out blade the foremost label in the stack receives complete coverage of gum and adheres completely to the pickout blade ensuring optimum conditions of removal from the label stack in a direction perpendicular to or at a set angle to the plane of the foremost label in the label stack and ensuring all over gumming giving maximum contact of the label with e.g.. the bottle to which the label is to be applied.

Alternatively, only preferred areas of the label may be gummed by making the label pick-out plate or blade surface area in different planes, the outer plane of the surface only receiving gum and hence only transferring this gum to similar areas on the label back.

In detail, the equipment for mechanisms having single pick-out blades to achieve small machine dimensions preferably consists of a central drive shaft underhung from an elevated support arm. Fixed to the overhead support arm and non'rotatable in relation to it is a cam of suitable design. Below the cam and rotatable in relation to it, fixed to the central drive shaft is a carrier plate rotatable about the first axis.

Displaced from the centre of rotation of the carrier plate and at a preferred radius to its axis is a crankshaft having its main bearing fixed in the carrier plate. Fixed to a crankshaft extension above the carrier plate is a spur gear in contact with a driving gear quadrant to ensure partial rotation of the crankshaft when the quadrant is pivoted about its axis of rotation by a lever and cam follower, the lever fulcrum having its bearings carried by the rotatable carrier plate.

The extension of the crankshaft away from the carrier plate or more correctly the extended crankpin of the crankshaft passes through a pick-out blade carrier and partially rotates in relation to it.

The end of the picleout blade carrier remote from the pick-out blade extends through guide plates attached to the central drive shaft or alternatively. uses the central drive shaft as a guide.

Rotation of the central drive shaft rotates the carrier plate and hence the crankshaft and cam follower about the axis of the central drive shaft. As the rotation con tinues, the cam follower is displaced by the nonrotatable cam as the cam follower moves over it such that the crankshaft or other eccentric means drive gear rotates differentially to the rotation of the central drive shaft and in an opposite direction of rotation to it such that effective angular movement of the pick-out blade ceases and a radial movement of it occurs, guided by the fixed guides and limited in total movement by throw of the crank, the pick-out blade being returned radially inwards after pick-out of :a label.

The design of cam shape is such that the radial motion of the pick-out blade in its direction towards and away from the label stack is completed before further angular rotation around the central drive shaft carries the pick-out blade with label gummed to it on a fixed radius of rotation to other parts of the equipment such as a transfer drum.

The position of the cam is fixed in relation to the desired point of radial movement of the pick-out blade to suit the position of the fixed label stack. Following the pick-out and transfer of a label the procedure repeats itself with the pick-out blade rolling over a gumming cylinder to reload its surface with gum before being moved into the label stack again.

In an embodiment of the invention incorporating a plurality of label pick-out heads (e.g., six or eight heads) the crankshafts are preferably supported at each end, with two carrier plates fixed to the central drive shaft, to ensure sufficient rigidity of the mechanism, such an arrangement still allowing simultaneous pick-out from superimposed label stacks by utilising an increased length crank pin to suit the desired displacement of the label stacks.

The invention will now be further described, in greater detail, by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a first embodiment of pick-out device according to the invention incorporating a single pick-out blade;

FIGS. 2A to 2D illustrate four progressive positions of a pick-out blade operable according to the principle of FIG. 1, when at a gluing roller;

FIGS. 3A to 3D illustrate four progressive positions of a pick-out blade operable according to the principle of FIG. 1, when at a label stack;

FIGS. 4A to 4D illustrate four progressive positions of a pick-out blade operable according to the principle of FIG. I, when at a transfer head;

FIGS. 5A to 5D illustrate four progressive positions of the transfer head during bottle labelling;

FIG. 6 is an axial section through a pick-out blade and associated parts of a second embodiment of pickout device incorporating a plurality of label pick-out heads;

FIG. 7 is generally a plan view of FIG. 6, segment A-B being in plan, segment B-C being a section on the line B-C of FIG. 6 and segment C-A being a section on the line C-A of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a gear quadrant and associated parts.

In both embodiments like reference numerals are used for like components.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a labelling machine for applying gummed labels to articles e.g., bottles, comprises a pick-out device indicated generally at 1 and incorporating a pick-out blade 2 supplied with gum from a gumming roller 3. The gummed pick-out blade 2 picks out a foremost label 4 from a label stack 5 and transfers the label 4 to a transfer cylinder 6 which applies the label 4 to the periphery of e.g., a bottle (not shown in FIG. 1) transported past the transfer cylinder 6 by a conveyor 7.

The pick-out blade 2 is carried by a carrier 8 and is rotatable about a first axis 9 in a clockwise direction and is connected to a crankshaft 10 whose journal (main bearing) 11 is rotatable about a second and parallel axis 12 in an anti-clockwise direction to give crank pin 13 of the crankshaft 10 an eccentric throw of distance X. The pick-out blade carrier 8 is mounted on the crank pin 13 and the journal 11 is mounted on a carrier plate 14 rotatable about the axis 9 on a central drive shaft 15 underhung from an elevated support arm (not shown). Fixed to the overhead support arm and nonrotatable with it is a cam 16 having a periphery 17 contacted by a roller follower 18 mounted on one end of a lever 19. The other end of the lever 19 is attached to a gear quadrant 20 with gear teeth at 2] and pivotable by the lever 19 about axis 22. The teeth 21 are in mesh with a spur gear 23 co-axial with and carried by the journal 11. The pick-out blade is guided radially by the drive shaft 15 engaging in a slot 24 at the end of the pick-out blade carrier 8 remote from the pick-out blade 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D the carrier plate 2 is of a modified form to that shown in FIG. I in that the modified carrier plate 2 has an arcuate surface 25 of length corresponding to the width of labels 4 in the stack 5, and as with the FIG. 1 embodiment. of depth corresponding to the depth of labels 4 in the stack 5. The carrier plate 2 rotates past the gumming roller 3 with the gear quadrant 20 in the return" position i.e., with the carrier plate 2 close to the journal 11, ready to rotate the gear 23 in an anti-clockwise direction. such rotation occuring when the carrier plate 2 comes opposite the stack 5 at which point the profile of the cam 16 displaces the roller follower 18 to rock the gear quadrant 20 about axis 22 and hence rotate the gear 23 and the crankshaft l0, and stages of rotation of the latter are shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, the arrangement being such that only movement of the carrier plate 2 from FIGS. 3A to 3C is radially outwards. FIG. 3B shows the resilience of the stack 5 being employed to ensure that the foremost label of the stack 5 adheres to the carrier plate 2. In FIG. 3C the foremost label 5 is shown adhering to the carrier plate 2 and continued rotation of the gear 23 by the gear quadrant 20 begins to move the carrier plate 2 away from the stack 5 until the gear quadrant 20 reaches its fully active position (cor responding generally to the position shown in FIG. 1) when the carrier plate 2 is in the position shown in FIG. 3D. The crankshaft 10 is maintained in this position during transfer of the label 4 from the pick-out blade 2 to the transfer cylinder 6. The latter has a conventional sponge pad 26 and an adjacent claw arrangement 27 that is openable and closable in the conventional manner by cams to grip the edge of the label 4 in the manner shown by FIGS. 48 and 4C. Shortly after the position shown in FIG. 4D, complete transfer of the label 4 to the transfer cylinder 6 has been completed and thereafter, the roller follower 18 engages a profile ofthe cam periphery 17 that returns the gear quadrant 20 in a clockwise direction about axis 22 to its return position, ready for use in picking out the next label in stack 5. FIGS. 5A to 5D show the application of label 4 held by the transfer cylinder 6 to a bottle 28, labelling of the bottle 28 being completed by passing the latter through wiper brushes 29 to wipe the label edges on to the bottle.

The arrangement above has described the pick-out device of the invention in its simplest form i.e.. employing one pick-out blade to pick out one label. In practice however, a common need is to apply two labels to an article e.g., a body and a neck label to a bottle. For this purpose two superimposed stacks 5 would be employed one to serve as a magazine for body labels and one to serve as a magazine for neck labels, and the pick-out plate 2 would be suitably extended in depth to cover both stacks, or alternatively a second pick-out device could be located above the first pick-out device opposite the superimposed label stack.

To increase the rate of label pick-out it is advantageous to employ a plurality of pick-out devices in conjunction with a single gumming roller and transfer cylinder, and the latter can be provided with as many sets of claws as may be required. Thus, six or eight pick-out devices may be used.

FIGS. 6 to 8 illustrate a second embodiment of pickout device according to the invention, that employs six pick-out devices.

Only one pick-out blade 2 is shown in detail in FIG. 6 but the other five pick-out blades are identical and at different radial positions, 60 apart. Two carriers 8A and 8B are spaced apart on the drive shaft 15, the latter being rotatably supported on bearings 30 carried by a stationary support shaft 31, for rotation about the first axis 9 by a suitable gear drive (not shown). The crank pin 13 of each crankshaft 10 passes through the carrier plate 14 and journals 11 at each end of the crankshaft are secured in bearings 32 in an aperture in the carriers 8A, 8B. The carrier plate 14 carries a lower pick'out blade 2A to apply body labels to a bottle, and an upper pick-out blade 28 to apply neck labels to a bottle. The carrier plate 14 is guided radially by the combination of a cylinder 33 remote from the pickout blades 2A and 2B and a piston 34 secured by a pin to one ofa plurality of washers 35 stacked between a pair of end clamps 36 to the periphery of the drive shaft 8. Additional cylinders 33A and the possibility of varying the number and/or disposition of the washers 35, enable the position of the carrier plate 14 and hence the pickout blades 2A and 28 to be varied on different machines, to suit a customers particular requirement and for manufacturing convenience e.g., by allowing the carrier plate to be used upside down from the position shown in FIG. 6.

A downward extension 11A of the lower journal 11 of the crankshaft 10 passes through a plain bearing 37 in a rotatable support plate 38 secured to the carrier 8A by bolts 39 passing through spacers 40 and beneath the plate 38 the extension 11A terminates in a spur gear 23. As best seen from FIG. 8, the teeth 21 of the gear quadrant are in mesh with the spur gear 23, the gear quadrant 20 being pivotable about axis 22 on a pin 41 secured to the plate 38 and being urged towards the axis 9 by a tension spring 45. The cam follower 18 of the gear quadrant 20 is secured 'to the quadrant 20 by a pin 42 and the cam 16 is formed by cutting a track with a periphery 17 into a base plate 43 secured by bolts 44 to the support shaft 31.

Of course, all six pick-out devices, gear quadrants etc. of the embodiment of FIGS. 6 to 8 are identical, and again the cam track 16 is designed, by suitably varying its distance from the axis 9, that the gear quadrants 20 are rocked at the correct time to give their carrier plates 2A and 28 only radial movement when opposite the label stack to displace the carrier plates 2A and 28 to their active positions, before rocking in the oppoiste direction to return the carrier plates 2A and 6 28 to the return position, ready for use in picking out the next label.

What we claim is:

l. A pick-out device for a labelling machine comprising a pick-out blade rotatable about a first axis in one direction, a crankshaft rotatable about a second parallel axis, removed from said first axis. in the opposite direction or in the same direction with respect to the rotation of said first axis and connected to said pick-out blade and capable of imparting to said pick-out blade not only rotational movement about said second axis but also radial movement outwardly or inwardly with respect to said first axis, means to guide said pick-out blade radially and means to apply gum to said pick-out blade, whereby said blade picks out the foremost label of a stack of labels without rolling over said foremost label.

2. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said crankshaft is rotated by a cam and gear quadrant arrangement.

3. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said crankshaft carries a spur gear in mesh with said quadrant.

4. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plate rotatable about said first axis and a plurality of said pick-out blades and their crankshafts located on said plate.

5. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a central drive shaft to a carrier plate, said plate supporting said crankshaft.

6. A pick-out device as claimed in Claim 5 wherein a main bearing of said crankshaft is displaced from the centre of rotation of said carrier along a radius of said carrier.

7. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said crankshafts are supported at each end by two spaced carrier plates fixed to a central drive shaft.

8. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 5 comprising six pick-out blades spaced 60 apart around said first axis.

9. A pick-out device for a labelling machine comprising a pick-out blade rotatable'about a first axis in one direction, a crankshaft rotatable about a second parallel axis, removed from said first axis in the opposite direction or in the same direction and connected to said pick-out blade and capable of imparting to said pickout blade not only rotational movement about said second axis but also radial movement outwardly or inwardly with respect to said first axis, means to guide said pick-out blade radially and means to apply gum to said pick-out blade; whereby said blade picks out the foremost label of a stack of labels without rolling over said foremost label, wherein a pick-out blade carrier carries said pick-out blade and an end of said carrier remote from said blade is slotted to receive a central drive shaft which is coincident with said first axis. 

1. A pick-out device for a labelling machine comprising a pick-out blade rotatable about a first axis in one direction, a crankshaft rotatable about a second parallel axis, removed from said first axis, in the opposite direction or in the same direction with respect to the rotation of said first axis and connected to said pick-out blade and capable of imparting to said pick-out blade not only rotational movement about said second axis but also radial movement outwardly or inwardly with respect to said first axis, means to guide said pick-out blade radially and means to apply gum to said pick-out blade, whereby said blade picks out the foremost label of a stack of labels without rolling over said foremost label.
 2. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said crankshaft is rotated by a cam and gear quadrant arrangement.
 3. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said crankshaft carries a spur gear in mesh with said quadrant.
 4. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plate rotatable about said first axis and a plurality of said pick-out blades and their crankshafts located on said plate.
 5. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a central drive shaft to a carrier plate, said plate supporting said crankshaft.
 6. A pick-out device as claimed in Claim 5 wherein a main bearing of said crankshaft is displaced from the centre of rotation of said carrier along a radius of said carrier.
 7. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said crankshafts are supported at each end by two spaced carrier plates fixed to a central drive shaft.
 8. A pick-out device as claimed in claim 5 comprising six pick-out blades spaced 60* apart around said first axis.
 9. A pick-out device for a labelling machine comprising a pickout blade rotatable about a first axis in one direction, a crankshaft rotatable about a second parallel axis, removed from said first axis in the opposite direction or in the same direction and connected to said pick-out blade and capable of imparting to said pick-out blade not only rotational movement about said second axis but also radial movement outwardly or inwardly with respect to said first axis, means to guide said pick-out blade radially and means to apply gum to said pick-out blade; whereby said blade picks out the foremost label of a stack of labels without rolling over said foremost label, wherein a pick-out blade carrier carries said pick-out blade and an end of said carrier remote from said blade is slotted to receive a central drive shaft which is coincident with said first axis. 